More than routine maintenance

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman J. Paul Croxon
  • 319th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  The periodic inspection dock is where the most intensive KC-135 inspection takes place on base. Nearly every system is checked, tested and sometimes replaced by more than 50 Airmen over an eight-day period -- and it's also a classroom.

During periodic inspections, Airmen from at least eight career fields are learning the intricate workings of the systems only generally touched upon at technical school.

"In tech. school, Airmen learn the basics: general tool knowledge, how to read technical orders and an overview of various systems," said Tech. Sgt. Shane Bushta, 319th Maintenance Squadron. "During PE inspections, they work with related career fields and learn where they fit into the bigger maintenance picture."

It's not uncommon for a hydraulics Airman to ask a crew chief for help. For tasks that need to follow a particular order, it's crucial to foster teamwork in order to turn out 50-year-old aircraft in eight days.

If the Periodic Inspection dock can be considered a classroom, then it has one of the best teacher-to-student ratios possible. The half-dozen Airmen in upgrade training work in a closed environment with nearly five times as many seven and nine-level NCOs.

"Working here so far has taught me so much and made me realize how much there is to know," said Airman Basic Rebecca Perkins, 319 MXS.

According to Sergeant Bushta, none of the Airmen he mentors will likely deploy and perform only KC-135 hydraulics maintenance. "They'll often help other maintenance Airmen outside their career fields or even on other airframes," he said.

The knowledge learned is mechanical in nature, but with it, comes responsibility for the lives of the aircrew.

"Attention to detail is a critical part of the work here," said Capt. Aarti Puri, 319 MXS maintenance flight commander. "The professionalism, pride and dedication of the Airmen and NCOs I work with here is inspiring. They know the importance of what they do, and it shows."

The classroom of the Periodic Inspection dock is a place where student and teacher, mentor and apprentice learn together.

"Teaching new Airmen how to keep these aircraft flying lets me relearn daily what I already know," reflected Sergeant Bushta.